Even though I’m not at all a fussy eater, I rarely eat meat. It’s not that I don’t like it, but I usually find myself gravitating more towards vegetable or fish when cooking and eating out. The way I eat and cook has been greatly influenced by my parents’ dietary habits: while I was exposed from very early on to various cuisines and ingredients, meat was never on top of the list of foods we’d have, either at home or out. [READ MORE]
Mashed potatoes is one of these dishes, that can easily go from spectacular to ‘what-the-hell-is-this-I’m-eating’. I mean, it’s not terribly exciting, appearance and texture-wise, but at the same time, just because it is so plain in its main ingredients, it allows for lots of improvisation and additions. [READ MORE]
A big part of why I love Halloween so much has to do with the whole extravagance of it: the spooky decoration, the decadent food, the dressing up- I love all of it, even though it is highly commercialised. Another, equally significant reason, is the initial idea behind it: celebrating and honouring the dead. [READ MORE]
Pumpkins must be my favourite autumnal ingredient; growing up, we’d usually cook with the squashes from our garden, but ever since I moved to London, it seems like I’m discovering a new kind of pumpkin every year. I love the variety in shapes and colours, how durable they are, as well as their versatility: soups, quiches, pies, cheesecakes- I’ve incorporating pumpkin in so many dishes, and I still can’t get enough. [READ MORE]
The end of summer always leaves me with bittersweet emotions: while I don’t want to let go of the hot temperatures, smell of sunscreen, warm starry nights and the overall easiness of the season, I long for the first signs of fall. I ‘m always happy to see the sidewalks filled with colourful falling leaves and to try new comfort recipes featuring autumnal produce. Most of all, I can’t wait for Halloween. [READ MORE]
Pancakes are my favourite leisurely breakfast; easy and quick to prepare, versatile, sweet or savoury, I love them all. I usually make them on Sunday- after I come back from the gym (I believe counter-productive is the word you’re looking for here). [READ MORE]
This week is all about breakfast; my favourite meal of the day, my favourite thing to make and eat.
“Breakfast is everything. The beginning, the first thing. It is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life… Somewhere, someone is starting breakfast and thinking, ‘Today will be better than yesterday’…Wherever, whenever breakfast comes, it’s a mouthful of stoic optimism.”, writes A.A. Gill in ‘Breakfast at the Wolseley’. [READ MORE]
One of the (few) things I enjoy about cold weather is my craving for comfort food. Most specifically, my craving for soup.
I absolutely LOVE making and eating soups! As with most of my cooking, this has also been influenced by my mom: the woman can turn just about anything into a delicious soup and I grew up half in awe of this ability of hers and half resenting the frequency in which we had soup for lunch and/or dinner. Ever since I moved to London however, faced with full-on cold autumns and winters, soups have also become my go-to dish from the moment temperatures begin to drop and this carrot soup was one of the first dishes I was making on repeat during my first year in London. [READ MORE]
I’ve been called many things over the years, but the two that keep regularly coming up are ‘princess’ and ‘pain in the ass’. I would love to elaborate and/or explain, but, really, I think I should better keep quiet. I can be both of these things, but, thankfully, I ‘m also often very easy to please. On that note, chocolate chip cookies are just the thing for me: there’s nothing exotic there, but good-quality ingredients, barely handled, briefly cooked, resulting in perfect cookies. [READ MORE]
I first went to the Nordic Bakery some three years ago. I remember it vividly, as it was an early morning, it was freezing and I was hungry. [READ MORE]